The Louisiana community is mourning the loss of 8 children who were victims of a mass shooting in Shreveport on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
On Sunday morning, a tragic mass shooting shocked the Shreveport community when a gunman opened fire and killed eight children, ages 3 to 11.
The latest incident marks the deadliest mass shooting in over two years.
Louisiana police have identified the gunman as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, who shot and killed his seven children and a cousin.
The shooting incident also resulted in two women being injured, including his spouse before the first crack of dawn in a rampage at least in two places.
After the shooting, which officials described as “homicide in nature,” the gunman fled the scene in a wrecked vehicle.
As a result of a police chase, the suspect was shot and killed by officers in a crossfire.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office has confirmed the victims’ identities.
These include Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariah Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5th.
Who was the gunman?
Shamar Elkins spent seven years in the Louisiana Army National Guard. From August 2013 to August 2020, as a signal support system expert and fire support specialist, according to CNN.
The Elkins were never deployed and left the Army in 2020, their rank at the time of departure being EI (Private).
The outlet also reported Elkins’ prior criminal record, as he had two prior felony convictions in Caddo District Court.
According to court records, Elkins married Shaneiqua Pugh, 34, about two years ago.
As per NEWElkins had a troubled home life and a strained relationship with his wife.
In a separate report by APwhich highlighted that the couple was in the middle of a separation and had a heated argument just moments before the shooting.
The shooting is considered the deadliest in the United States since January 2024, when a 23-year-old man shot eight people, most of them his relatives, in a Chicago suburb.
